February 28, 2007

Children With Mental Illnesses to Get At-Home Services

A federal judge (Ponsor), in response to a lawsuit, had ruled on the side of children's families that the state of Massachusetts had indeed illegally forced thousands of mentally ill children "to endure unnecessary confinement in residential facilities."

According to the judge, he accepted the state's proposal as a "practical matter" - a compromise offering the best hope of getting the children the desperately needed help. This decision would avoid years of legal wrangling which would have left the children either in institutions or ignored them altogether.

Some advocates are happy about the decision, saying that it will finally provide coordinated services for poor children suffering from conditions that range from attention deficit disorder to schizophrenia. However, others warn that some children have severe neurobiological brain disorders which require adequate hospital services which the state's plan does not address.

"I do think this is going to help -- I don't want to be negative," said Matteodo, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of Behavioral Health Systems. But, he said, "the problems are so severe, not only with the kids but with their families, that it's probably not going to solve everything."